Private TourGroup style
Full day · approx. 8 hoursDuration
ShanghaiDestination
Free cancellation24h before start
Tour overview
Shanghai is two cities stacked on top of each other: the art-deco trading capital of the 1930s and the neon megacity of tomorrow. On this full-day private tour your buddy threads both, timed to dodge crowds and punctuated by the things that make the city sing — a coffee in a lane-house café, a stroll through the plane-tree streets where writers plotted revolutions, and a wet-market lunch where you point, they cook.
By evening you will have crossed the river by ferry, gone up one of the world's tallest towers (optional), and understood why Shanghainese people consider their city neither East nor West, but simply Shanghai.
Full customisation available: art-lover route, architecture-deep-dive, family-with-kids route — message us after booking.
Why you'll love it
- The Bund's art-deco facade walk with the stories behind each bank
- Yu Garden before the crowds plus old-town alley lanes
- Former French Concession: plane trees, lane houses and a wet-market lunch
- Cross the Huangpu by commuter ferry like a local
- Optional sunset ride up Shanghai Tower (632 m)
Your itinerary
08:30
The Bund at Opening Hour
Meet your buddy on the promenade while the skyline glitters without crowds. Learn to read the facades: the bank with the lions, the hotel with the green pyramid, and why every building has a Shanghai story.
09:30
Yu Garden & Old Town
A Ming-dynasty garden of rockeries and moon gates, entered before tour buses arrive. Then the bazaar backstreets: willow-pattern teapots, dumpling houses with queues worth joining.
11:30
Ferry Across the Huangpu
Board the commuter ferry with the bikes and the scooters — 2 yuan, best-value cruise in Asia. Pudong's towers slide past; your buddy explains which tower is which and why one has a hole through the top.
12:15
Wet-Market Lunch
Lunch in a working market: pick your vegetables, point at the fish, and the stall cooks it while you wait. Seasonal Shanghainese flavours — braised aubergine, drunken chicken, xiaolongbao if you insist.
13:45
French Concession Stroll
Plane-tree avenues, 1930s lane houses, the former residence district of writers and gangsters. Coffee stop in a lane-house café (included) and the longtang alleys where laundry still crosses the sky.
16:00
Skyline Finale
Ride the fastest elevator in the world up Shanghai Tower observation deck (optional, tickets arranged) or end with riverside views and a craft beer. Drop-off at your hotel or anywhere central — your call.
What's included
Included
- English-speaking buddy for the full day
- Yu Garden entrance
- Metro, taxi and ferry fares during the tour
- Wet-market lunch
- One specialty coffee
- Bottled water
Not included
- Shanghai Tower observation deck (optional, bookable on tour)
- Hotel pickup outside city center (arrangeable at cost)
- Gratuities (optional)
Know before you go
- City-center hotel pickup/return included within the Inner Ring
- Roughly 8 km of walking — comfortable shoes essential
- Shanghai Tower option is weather-dependent; refundable if closed
- Museum days can be swapped in — Shanghai Museum entry is free but timed; tell your buddy in the morning
Meeting point
Pickup from any hotel within the Inner Ring Road, or meet at the Bund promenade (exit 3, East Nanjing Road metro). Outside the ring? Message us for a small supplement.
Pickup from any hotel within the Inner Ring Road, or meet at the Bund promenade (exit 3, East Nanjing Road metro). Outside the ring? Message us for a small supplement.
Children
Child price ages 4–12 (under 4 free). Ferry and metro make this a family favourite; strollers work except in Yu Garden rockery paths.
Child price ages 4–12 (under 4 free). Ferry and metro make this a family favourite; strollers work except in Yu Garden rockery paths.
Frequently asked questions
Group price? What do I pay?
Price is per group for your private party: 1 guest $189, 2 guests $259, up to 6 guests $549 total. It covers everyone in your group including entrances, lunch and transport.
Do we go up a tower?
Optional Shanghai Tower observation deck, bookable on the day (around ¥180). Your buddy handles tickets; skip if you prefer street level.
Is the lunch safe for cautious stomachs?
The market restaurant we use is busy, clean and local-famous. Dishes are cooked fresh at high heat. Vegetarian and less-adventurous options always available.
What if it rains?
Shanghai rain is usually showers. We bring umbrellas, swap the ferry for the sightseeing tunnel, and the day works beautifully.
Traveller reviews ★★★★★ 4.9 · 3 reviews
Marcus Webb
United States · ★★★★★ 4
Comprehensive and well-paced. Shanghai Tower was an optional add but worth it at sunset. Docked one star only because the day felt a little long for our seven-year-old — the buddy adapted though, and the ferries saved us.
Travel Buddy teamFair point — we now offer a family-paced version too! — TB
Yuki Tanaka
Japan · ★★★★★ 5
I could not believe how much of Shanghai I understood in just one day. The ferry, the markets, places only locals know — our English-speaking guide spoke slowly and clearly, and made the whole city easy to follow.
Travel Buddy teamThank you Yuki! Come back for the night food walk. — TB
Simon Bennett
Canada · ★★★★★ 5
I spent a week comparing Shanghai tours online and almost booked a big-bus one. So glad I did not. One day with buddy Chen and I understood the city better than friends who lived there two years. The wet-market lunch was a highlight.
Travel Buddy teamChen is smiling somewhere on the Bund. — TB
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